My mother froze feathery celery tops and too-soft tomatoes in a zip-top bag until it was time to make broth. Bread heels became bread pudding. Dana Gunders would have appreciated that.

Gunders is author of "Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money by Wasting Less Food" (Chronicle Books, $18.95) and a fine coach for the growing number of chefs and consumers who regret that "about 40 percent of all food in the United States does not get eaten," as she writes.

You may ignore that figure, but this may hit home: "Americans are throwing away an average of $120 each month per household of four in the form of uneaten food," writes Gunders, a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an international nonprofit environmental group, who leads the council's efforts to reduce food waste. "That's real money going straight into the garbage instead of paying off your credit card bills or adding to your savings account."

If that prompts you to look twice at what's in your supermarket cart or the back of your refrigerator, then Gunders book can help. She has an array of strategies. The Directory tackles dozens of foods, with how to store, use and, if past they're prime, revive them. She tackles food safety and has a few suggestions on what to do with food scraps (i.e. use purple cabbage to make Easter egg dye, coffee grounds mixed with olive oil for a face scrub). And there are recipes, from chilaquiles to infused vodka, for as she notes: "On the road to less food waste, there is definitely time for a cocktail."

Among her tips:

•Make a shopping list. And check the refrigerator. What needs using up? What don't you need to buy?

•Have kitchen essentials on hand. Several grains, key spices and "hero" sauces (i.e. barbecue) "that can bring new life to old meals."

•Pay in cash. "It makes the amount you're spending more tangible."

•Lean on frozen ingredients (such as frozen veggies to fill in gaps in meals).